Press Releases, 12/21/2012

European leaders convene for Lapland Retreat in March

Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb will host an informal high-level meeting, a Lapland retreat, in Saariselkä, Inari, Finland, on 22–24 March 2013. Discussions at the informal meeting will focus on the future of the European Union. Topical issues will not be on the agenda.

The hosts have invited to the retreat a small number of prime ministers, Europe ministers and representatives of EU institutions across Europe.

According to preliminary information, the retreat will be attended by Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton, Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union Íñigo Méndez de Vigo and member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank Jörg Asmussen.

"I find it important that European leaders can come together and discuss issues concerning the future of Europe and the European Union in a leisurely way. We will not make decisions or set up guidelines – the intention is to mull over important issues. I am pleased that such a large number of significant European leaders will join us in Lapland," says Prime Minister Katainen.